Bood on Board is a must-read monthly newsletter that shares governance stories and tips for leaders who want to add more value to their boardroom experience.

I had a good month: My youngest daughter is one week away from graduating from high school. Despite missing many many classes due to a common teen syndrome known as can’t-get-out-of-bed-on-time, she walked across the Convocation aisle wearing cap and gown, and looked like movie star in her prom dress. Unrelated, and just for the heck of it, I threw a house party (retro-alert!) attended by about 35 people who seemed to have lots of fun too. I read a fiction novel (My Friends, by Fredrik Bachman) that had me laughing and crying, and a well-written book on communication (The Next Conversation, by litigator and social media darling Jefferson Fisher). I attended two very interesting courses: ICD’s Board Oversight of Artificial Intelligence and PBLI’s Investing in Indigenous Projects. Both were very well done and insightful. I am working on client projects that have some unique features, which always makes it more interesting. So, yes, I had a good month. I hope you did too.

Governance training for management: When people hear that I provide governance training for management too, they are often surprised. There are many workshops and sessions tailored to support directors. They are more rare for management. But, in my view, management is a critical to Boardroom ROI. Management influences what gets elevated to the board, where the board spends its time, how board material is structured and written, how issues and developments are framed, how much of management’s thinking is visible and how new members are onboarded. Essentially, management’s choices shape the quality of the board’s discussion and decisions. Who better to attend a governance workshop?

I admit it. Sometimes - perhaps too often - I answer a simple question in a roundabout way. I use 10 sentences to answer something that really only needed two sentences. I launch into an answer as soon as I hear the question. I provide a short answer, but then go on to describe a nuance or exception. Or I worry that I haven’t provided enough context so I expand my answer. Then I summarize my response as eventually wrap up the answer.

Does this sound familiar? 

Let’s explore this in the board context. A director asks a simple question about something in the board package. Management gives the answer.

Then the history.

Then the assumptions.

Then a related point from last quarter.

Then a caveat.

By the time the answer is finished, the board has lost five minutes on a topic that probably needed thirty seconds.

It may sound minor but it is not. Board time is scarce. When management over-answers, it crowds out time for another question.

Long answers can also change the room. Directors may stop asking small clarification questions because they do not want to trigger a long explanation. Chairs may start having to cut people off during more important discussions.

A disorganized answer may raise a side topic, creating even more questions and potentially derail the conversation.

For management, the boardroom skill is not simply knowing the answer. It is knowing how much answer the board needs.

How can we do a better job in responding to director questions? Try these three steps.

1. Pause before the first sentence

The most important part of a concise answer often happens before anyone speaks.

A better answer starts with a pause. A pause gives you time to gather your thoughts.

It does not need to be visible or dramatic. Jefferson Fisher, author of the really helpful book The Next Conversation (2025), describes it “Your first word is your breath.”

Without the pause, many people (me) wander their way to the answer. They start talking while they are still sorting out the point. That is when filler words creep in. Unnecessary context gets added.

2. Match the length of the answer to the value of the issue

Some director questions deserve a short answer. Some deserve a deeper response or more context.

The mistake is treating all questions as if they require the full briefing note.

A small clarification or curiosity should stay small: “That figure is year-to-date, not annualized.”

A question about a management recommendation needs a deeper response: “We recommend option two because it gives us more flexibility. The trade-off is a slower implementation timeline.”

A question about risk may need context: “The main risk is capacity. The financial exposure is manageable, but the execution risk is real if we try to move too quickly. We can manage some of that risk by . . . ”

This is especially important on operational questions. Directors sometimes ask about operational details because they are trying to understand the issue. Other times they pose a tactical question due their similar experience or personal interest.

Management can help by answering questions with the right level of detail and framing depending on its impact on the topic.

That keeps the discussion useful. It also protects the agenda.

3. Give the short answer, then create permission to go deeper

Try this practical phrase: “The short answer is…”

It forces a succinct answer. It also gives the board a choice about whether more detail is needed. If directors want more, they will ask.

For example: “The short answer is yes. We have are confident that we have enough capacity for phase one. I can expand on the key assumptions if that would be helpful.”

This leaves room for board judgment about whether the details are worth the meeting time.

It also allows the chair or other directors to help guide whether the answer is important. A question from one director doesn’t necessarily mean that other directors find the inquiry valuable.

What changes when management does this well

The meeting moves faster.

Small questions stay small. Material questions get better answers.

Directors are less frustrated because clarifying questions don’t derail the agenda.

Management sounds more professional, because the answer is organized around what the board needs rather than everything management knows.

Concise answers also signal that management understands the board’s role. The board does not need every detail to do its job. It needs the right detail, at the right level, at the right time.

The real test is not whether management answered every question completely.

It is whether the answer helped the board move the discussion forward.

8 Questions to Evaluate Your Board - After your board meeting, ask these eight questions to score how it went.

Strategic Planning Guide - A five-stage roadmap to sharpen your next planning cycle and ensure that board discussions lead to real decisions and results.

Should the Board Approve This? - A six step filter to guide organizations struggling to distinguish between board-level and management-level decisions.

Giving Back by Supporting Non-Profits: Is your organization improving the world on a tight budget? Each year Puimac Consulting Ltd. provides a number of presentations pro bono. Non-profits with limited budgets can inquire for more information and on availability.

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